University of California-Santa Barbara Top Questions

I myself am in Alpha Phi at UCSB. One of the best things i have been a part of i love it andall the girls in the house. Greek life is a great way to meet people with similar interests and meet life long friends. Although i am greek, it is not my whole life as with most greeks at UCSB. Because UCSb is so social it is very easy to have a busy social life without being greek. Many people leave their doors open and i have not heard much about theft. Very big about soccer!!!Gaucho Locos are crazy at soccer and basketball! There is such a wide variety of clubs and organizations to join, anything you can think of i can almost guarantee we have something invovling it. Something that has stuck with me is that it is great sometimes that UCSB is a party school because it is that much easier to stay in. You will never really miss that sinlge big party because there will always be something the next night. Dating scene is really based on hook ups, hard to have a steady relationship in the first couple of years. Long distance seems even harder here.

The Greek systems is increasing in popularity and size on the UCSB campus. While only around 11{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population before, its numbers have reached 15{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} and are climbing. I am a member of the Alpha Phi Sorority, which a top-ranked sorority on campus. Students in the dorms generally leave their doors open and unlocked. The environment is very safe and friendly. Athletic events are moderately attended, going back to the minimal school spirit of the school. However, when the soccer team does well, people will often come out...maybe. If you are awake at 2am on a Tuesday night you are either coming back from Q's downtown (if you're 21), studying, or usually...drinking.

The Greek system is a small population on campus, I believe around 15{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}, but I would like to think we're pretty well known. Our philanthropies are attended by many none Greeks and we invite everyone to join! The Soccer Team and Surf Teams I would say are pretty popular, as well as Volley Ball, Lacrosse, and Basketball. The dorms are a great experience and every Freshman should take advantage of them. I met two of my best friends and sisters in the dorms and many other great people who I still keep in contact with while living in Isla Vista. Some traditional events that happen each year would be Floatopia, Halloween of course, Earth Day, and Sorority and Fraternity Rush. Signs are posted all over campus when big events happen so everyone is aware of it. If students are concerned about having a good time and not drinking, there are always great restaurants in IV and movie rentals for a quiet night. There is a movie theater, and a Borders near by. A bowling alley is right off the freeway, and state street with shopping, more restaurants and more movie theaters is about a 15 minute drive away! Its pretty easy to snuggle up with friends and watch movies, it isn't all about going out and getting crazy. But for those that choose to live the on the go lifestyle, I would say 5 out of 7 days someone could always find something to do.

Theres always something going on somewhere at anytime - so there's no excuse to sit at home on the couch with nothing to do!

Join the greek system!!!! Growing up biased negatively toward the greek system, I can say first and foremost to keep an open mind. Going Greek i is by far the best experience hands down. I joined Alpha Phi my freshman year, and I am absolutely in love it. I am thrilled to be a part of a greater whole because of all the values Alpha Phi stands for. And of course, I have met my best friends who would do absolutely anything for me. It is a great feeling to know that if anything goes wrong in my life (and believe me, college throws a lot of curveballs at you), I have 120 girls beside my side. The dating scene is, well, nonexistent. Guys have definitely been lazy in that area, so girls, bring up the standard. You won't find much people doing anything besides drinking on a Saturday, but when I want down time, me and my girls go out to a movie and fro yo.

The greek community is a decent size here, but it is not as crucial for a social life unlike other schools. I am in Associated Students, it is cool but it is really hostile because many different backgrounds clash. I think people are too busy partying to care about athletics. The dating scene is mostly casual hook-ups, which sucks. University of Casual Sex and Beer. I met my closest friends through my sorority, AXO. People party everyday here, it's kind of a huge problem.

The group I am most familiar with is the Greek Life ucsb offers here. I am apart of a sorority on campus and that is how I choose to invest most of my time. I make it a big part of my life and find all of my closest friends and social events in the Greek System.

Social life is what UCSB is all about and the majority of students who come here know this and are open to it. In the dorms, everyone is friendly with doors open and big groups of freshmen are often seen roaming the streets of IV together trying to find a party (be careful when doing this because you WILL get water ballooned) There are 10 sororities and 10 Fraternities on campus that are recognized by panhellenic. Rush is usually the first week of fall quarter.

I love being a part of greek life. It made the transition so much easier. Although greek life isn't a huge {4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of UCSB social life, when you are apart of it it feels huge. The stereotype that comes with this is lots of drinking, but not at all. I spend so many times just sitting in the dining commons with my sisters & our friends in other sororities & fraternities or doing the community service hours. I have some friends that do not even drink yet still have a great time at events & have just as many friends. UCSB associated students also plans tons of activities, you just have to be proactive about getting involved.

Dorms are a great place to meet your closest friends over the next 4 years. My RA (Resident Assistant) was amazing, and I consider her a great friend. Everyone gets really close, and it's great to live in a co-ed dorm, so you can make good friends of the opposite sex too as opposed to just meeting them when you're out partying. It's really easy to get involved in things. I did Mock Trial this past year and we went to Nationals. Everyone was really friendly and helpful. Our coaches are from the DA's office. It's a great way to get know faculty and meet mentors. I was interested in getting involved in Model UN and so I Facebooked someone I saw in the paper and invited me to a meeting that night. I'm also in a sorority. Only 8{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population is Greek and we always get the stereotypes. However, there's so much to get involved, so many people to meet, and so much to do! It's awesome. You can definitely find that smaller community feel. Our sorority just teamed up with a bootcamp workout company to come to us to work out. We wouldn't have that opportunity if we weren't in a house.

I think fraternities and sororities are one of the most important part of social life. This is where I met most of my friends, where all the parties are too.

The Greek system is a great way to make friends. Even though only about 8{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of campus participates in the Greek system, there still are so many people to get to know. Greek life is also a great way to network in the future when you're out of college. Students do leave there dorms and go to other ones or go to Isla Vista (I.V.) One thing you'll learn about UCSB is everything has a mini-name (whatever that's called) for their actual name. Isla Vista is IV, Del Playa is DP, and all the buildings around campus have that too, i.e., Humanities and Social Sciences Building is HSSB. If you don't want to join a sorority or frat., which I advise you give a try, there are tons of clubs to get involved with too.

The Greek System is a popular organization that many people are involved in. Most students in dorms do not leave their dorms open. I met my closest friends through my sorority, who I hang out whenever I have free time. Last weekend I went out into IV and hung out at my friends house and went to some fraternities.

the most fun thing to do is be in a frat or sorority if you want to have a good time doing philanthropy and partying and just hanging out

Go Greek! Or at least try it! Although this social scene isn't for everyone (and not even for me anymore), but joining a Greek organization is without a doubt the single best thing I've ever done in college (second only to coming to UCSB). Within a few months, I had hundreds of friends and phone numbers. Many of my closest friends are also Greek, but are not in my house. Joining the Greek system introduced me to life-long friends, and as such, I have nothing but good things to say about the Greek system. But be warned, the Greek system centers on alcohol. I did not drink in high school, but I got way out of control in college. There is a lot of peer pressure to drink, but that isn't to say that you HAVE to drink. I personally know members of the Greek system (both within and outside of my house) who don't participate. These members are not judged or scorned, but many have a tough time understanding their stance.

Because I'm so involved with Greek life, it's my main form of socializing! You meet great people in the Greek system who are so much fun and I've made my closest friends through it! Being in a sorority, you always have something to do and people you can count on. The dorms are also a great way to meet people. I've met some great guy friends on my floor who will probably stay my close friends throughout my four years here! You don't have to drink to have fun though! You can always find a group of people who are willing to watch a movie with you on a Saturday night or go bowling or see a movie at IV theater!

I am in the greek system here and I looooove it. Even though the percentage of people in it isnt huge, it definitely has a presence on campus. UCSB isn't the best school to go to if you're looking for a boyfriend or girlfriend. People here are pretty into the random hook up scene and not being tied down. I guess I understand it, I mean there is a ridiculous amount of good looking people here.

Plenty of sports or activities you can join. Costs are around 50 dollars a quarter which isn't too bad. The Greek system is nice but you don't have to be in it to have a great social life. Dating scene kinda sucks since there are plenty of pretty girls and boys around and no one wants to settle. There are a few nice guys but most are just trying to get in your pants, sorry. I feel like that is similar in every college environment though. If your not much of a partier there are always movies playing in IV theater or Arts and Lecture events you can attend. Downtown if perfect once you are 21, there are a variety of clubs and everyone goes Thursday night. Soo much fun!

Social life seems to happen mainly in IV. All the Greek houses are in IV, all the parties are in IV, Magic lantern films are shown in IV. While people do go to on campus shows, theater or dance performances, or music performances, these are usually because they are required for a class that people are taking to fulfill a GE. I think students really come together in the fall for soccer games with our very proud Gaucho Loco section.

Many students leave their doors open, but I do come from a very close floor - I'm sure not all the dorms are like this. Athletic events are only really popular when the sport is popular or when the game is crucial. So far, I've been to a few baseball games, almost all home soccer games, and zero basketball games, though I know a lot of people who've gone. If you wanted to, you could probably something to do almost every night of the week. To not involve drinking on a Saturday night, you could go out but not drink, go to a friend's place and watch movies, go to one of the Hub's dances (the school puts them on sometimes), etc. If you're off campus, you're probably in downtown Santa Barbara, which really is cute, or else you're taking a drive to L.A. or something. Santa Barbara's small, but it's a good bubble. :)